Al Hoang and Nghi Ho win Viet-American Ballot Victory

By Burt Levine

Vietnamese Americans car pooled, rode bikes and walked to polls in record breaking strength for Tuesday’s local elections that put Vietnamese American local leaders Al Hoang and Nghi Ho in unprecedented city council and school board political positions and made their mark in mayor, city controller and at large council races showing involvement not before seen Houston politics.

Thousands of Vietnamese Americans voted in the early vote starting October 19 at La Hong on Wilcrest just north of Bellaire, Tracy Gee Community, the Alief Library and Bayland Park during 12 days of early voting following concerted efforts energized through the mail, radio and door-to- door campaigning that shocked retiring Harris County Clerk Beverly Kaufman and University of Houston Political Science Chair Dr. Richard Murray who said they had not seen or expected such political enthusiasm in southwest Houston by Vietnamese American that had not before voted.

Attorney Al Hoang, Vietnamese Community of Houston and Vicinity President, in a seven man field won 2,361 votes or 24.6 percent and faces former Sharpstown Civic Club President Mike Laster who won 2,442 votes or 25.5 percent December 12 to become the city‘s first Vietnamese American elected official. Immediately after the polls closed Lewis Cook, an African American attorney that won 781 votes or 8.1 percent came to Hoang’s celebration at Thai Spice on Bellaire to embrace Hoang and promise his commitment to Hoang winning his run off against Laster.

In the early vote others in the race such as Pakistani Association of Greater Houston President Khalid Khan also promised to help Hoang win should he secure the run off berth to represent the Alief, Sharpstown and Gulfton areas on Houston Council. With Houston’s nine council districts representing about 240,000 people a piece, should Hoang win December 12 he then will arguably have achieved the next rung up in local politics from State Rep. Hubert Vo who now represents a district with about 139,000 people. Run-offs are about voters returning to the polls and Hoang is motivated he said to get the Vietnamese American communities and conservative Republican voters he said would identify with his views and his neighbors back to vote to win the runoff.

“This is a true testament to Texan American democracy and what means to work with your neighbors to improve your neighborhood and bring fiscal and social responsibility back to your community where you live and where you and your wife raise your children,” Hoang said while waving Texan and American flags and embracing his wife Dianne and their three children.

Ho, an Alief financial planning business owner and decorated US Navy Gulf War Veteran, was re-elected to Alief ISD school board Tuesday night winning 4,524 votes or 50.8 percent to Houston Baptist University student Grace Parmar’s 4,383 votes or 49.2 percent. Ho first won a seat on school board and Republican Pct. Chair to become Texas’ first Vietnamese American elected official in the 1990s and said the tremendous turnout from Vietnamese Americans in this election for he and for Hoang showed Vietnamese Americans want accountability from the local government want to know get involved in politics at a local level to make a positive difference.

“Academic achievement, sound fiscal management and transparency from government to the taxpayers that pay for their government’s services are what Vietnamese Americans and all those that voted in these elections are rightfully demanding. It what we’re working to achieve,” he said.

Also Tuesday Houston City Controller Annise Parker won 54,193 votes or 30.5 percent and is now in the run-off with former Houston City Attorney Gene Locke who won 45,954 votes or 26 percent of the vote and second term retiring Houston Council Member Peter Brown won 39,904 votes or 22.4 or third place to be blocked from the run-off despite spending millions of dollars.